How to Change your USA Driver’s License to a Portuguese Driver’s License

Since we’re planning on staying in Portugal, we figured it would be smart to switch our US driver’s license to a Portuguese License. It’s good we did so. In Portugal, you must make this change within 90 days of getting your residency (so 90 days after you go to your first SEF appointment). I suggest you make this a priority as soon as you get your residency. This way you don’t need to take a driver’s test or pay crazy amounts of money for classes and your license.

How to Change your US Driver’s License to a Portuguese Driver’s License

The offices open at 9 (although Google has the time as 9:30 am). Vi suggerisco di arrivare presto, the lines are long. I got there at 8:30 and it took me about an hour the first time I visited to get information. They close for lunch from 1-2 and close again at 5 pm. I’d suggest getting there 1 hour early so you can be first on the line. When you walk in, make sure to pull a ticket. This is key as without it you won’t be seen.

What You Need

Have a current & valid US Driver’s License and a certificate of validity with an apostille from the secretary of state from the state where your license was issued

Primo, you take a number and wait. There is a person up front who can guide you on what button to press on the machine. Once you are called, you will enter the room and present your paperwork. The woman at the counter didn’t ask any questions. When she was done, she asked me for payment, gave me back my number and told me to wait to be called again to take my picture. A few minutes later I was called and a digital photo was taken and I was done.

Costo

There are multiple costs attached to this.

License abstract. This document serves as proof that your license is, in fact, valid in the states. I downloaded mine directly from the NYDMV website. The cost was $7USD and I was able to download it as PDF.

Apostille. The cost will be determined by your state. You will also need to pay for shipping the form to your state and for having it sent back to Portugal.

Atestado do Medico Electronico. This is a document your doctor will fill out attesting that you are sane and of good health. It will include your vision status as well. This will vary by doctor and insurance. Mine cost a mere €15 since I have Medis as myPortuguese Health Insurance.

The actual license. There is a cost of €30 to make the change.

What Happens When You’re Done

You will be given a temporary document – basically a piece of paper with your info – which is valid for driving in Portugal for 2 months. Your new license will be sent to your Portuguese home address by mail. Your US license will be sent back to the USA.

Note>>> The paper you get will probably expire before you get your physical license. If this is the case, simply go back to the IMT and ask for an extension. It’s super simple, they just take your temporary paper license, stamp it, and fill in the new expiration date. We only had to renew or temporary license once. It took 5 months for the new license to arrive and it was hand delivered by the CTT (they didn’t just put it in the mailbox, they rang the doorbell to deliver it). I assume that if you’re not home, you’ll be left with a “pick up at the CTT office notice”. If this is the case, go to the address on the CTT notice and bring your Portuguese ID. Still pretty simple stuff.

Have questions for us about the process? Just leave your question in the comments section!

I hear you. I was not too happy about that either, but after much deliberation, it was the right move for me since I am planning to spend lots of time in Portugal. I’m not sure why they keep the license, but when I went in to do the exchange, I asked when I would get it back and the person at the desk said I would not.

Avete 90 days from when you get residency to exchange your license without having to take the test and pay full price for the license. ma, if you are here for over 2 years, then you must get a Portuguese driver’s license.

Many US states require that one continue to be a resident for the license to remain valid. Once you acquire residency in Portugal, the license may become invalid (again – depending on the state you are from). This can be an issue if you’re driving on your US license in Portugal and get in an accident.

My next move is to take my new temporary paper licence to the ACP to request an International Drivers Licence so that I can drive anywhere.

My sister got residency in Portugal a little over a month ago . I sent a notarized copy of her driving record to her with an apostille. Now they want a certified letter stating that a class D licence in the U.S. is equivalent to a class B Portuguese. I’ve not seen anyone mention that. Is that a normal requirement?

All I was asked for was a certificate that the license was valid (got that from the DMV website for my state). I also had to get it apostilled. This is new to me. Is she requesting in Lisbon or another city?

Hi Peter. Currently, Portuguese residents must renew their licenses when they become 50, 60, 65 and 70 (every two years after they turn 70 this includes a medical exam). She may be able to have her license transferred, but I’m not 100% sure on that. Before she arrives, make sure that she has her proof of validity apostilled. We got our exam from our private doctor. This may suffice for the IMT, but I’m not 100% on that. I could not find much info on the IMT website on your particular situation, but there was some on the European Commission website. Just make this a priority when you arrive so you have ample time in case they want more documentation or in case they want her to re-test.

Hey, I have a question I´m from Virginia and I want to change my drive license but I can´t find my state on the list of states I can only see West Virginia I don´t know what can I do, I´m having a really hard time on this process, I called the consulate but they can´t help me, I hope you can, Best Regards

Prima di tutto, I just want to thank you so much for all of the information you’ve provided through your blog. It helped me out tremendously while working on getting my D7 visa – which I now have approved to begin the process of becoming a Portuguese resident! On the theme of switching over my license, I’ve got plenty of time but did have one question – when I called the DMV office in NJ, they mentioned that I could request my driving record online – which is what I assume you did and downloaded from the NY DMV, tuttavia, is the last 5 years valid enough for the Portuguese or do I need to request my driving record for all time lived in NJ since I acquired a driver’s license? Just to be safe, I might acquire my full record but just wanted to see what your thoughts were since that requires more steps.

Salve, I just got turned down for the apostille (and I am moving in 3 days)! They said I needed the DMV signature notarized–I tried to figure that out, but I don’t know anyone at the DMV–it’s not like it was a document that was signed in from of me. So I sent it off for the apostille. No luck.

Did you have a signature notarized? I’m not sure what to do, now. The apostille company has my money and my certificate of validity 🙁

For US licenses, you need to do the transfer before the 90 days from the issue of residency (and I would suggest that you do it asap – it took me three visits to the IMT before I figured everything out).

Hi Blanca, you have been so helpful. The world is a better place when we have folks like you. Now my query. We are Irish citizens with US driving licences but we cannot exchange them for EU licences due to Irish bureaucrisy and we live in Ireland . My wife would have trouble doing the written test for the Irish licence due to dyslexia. Blanca ,how long do we have to wait to get residency permits to stay in Portugal and then subsequent then how long before we can begin process to exchange the licences.Thanks so much. Edmund

1. how long do we have to wait to get residency permits to stay in Portugal?

Depends on the type of residence visa you are requesting and your situation. Per noi, since we did a D7 Residence visa from the US, it took us 2 months to wait for the appointment, and then an extra 30 days for the approval. This is on top of the time it took us to gather all the paperwork we needed.

My mom did the same visa but coming in from Colombia and her process was much easier and faster than it was with us. So there are differences with the process from one country to another.

2. and then subsequent then how long before we can begin the process to exchange the licences

I would execute this as soon as you move to Portugal with your residence visa. The process will vary from state to state because of how the paperwork will be processed in the US…so if I were you, I would start to gather the paperwork as soon as you are approved for your visa. It will be much easier for you to get the necessary paperwork if you’re in the US.

Wishing you much luck in your move to Portugal. Keep us updated on your process…also, we have started a private area for those who want more personal advice and help with moving to Portugal.

Hi Blanca – first off, your blog is the best resource on moving to Portugal on the internet, without a doubt. My question is about the drivers license – if you are going to be here for 2 years, possibly less, would you absolutely switch over to a portuguese license? If you would be here for more than 2 years would you definitely switch over? And what happens to your US license? Does it get shipped to US, or destroyed?

If you’re planning to be here a long time, I would absolutely make the switch. The Portuguese driving test is given in Portuguese and I hear it is quite difficult.

I’m not 100% on what “happens” to the license, but mine was taken away. I believe it is somewhere in the Newark embassy since I applied in NJ…but I don’t know for sure (my Portuguese was close to zero when I did this errand). I’ll try to find out and get back to you.

I have a Limited-term driver license from Utah since I was in the us with a student visa. So my license expire the same day my visa does. I’m planning on moving to Portugal with my license still being valid. Could it be possible to change it for a Portuguese driver license ?

I have a feeling the answer is no. According to the IMTT website, you need to be in possession of a valid and definitive foreign driving title. I believe by definitive they need a permanent license, yours is limited term, so this could hinder you in getting your license exchanged. You can always email them to ask at this address: imtonline @imt-ip.pt. Let me know what they say.

Great blog and thank you! I went today with all my paperwork. I was unfortunately unable to this before the 90 days and was told I need just the driving test. But I was sent home with nothing and told the card would come in the mail and then I go back in (I assume for the test). It was very hard to get a road map of the process. My Portuguese is bad, but functional and they were just very unhelpful in explaining the process. If you have any idea of what I can expect now, I would appreciate it. Meanwhile I have ordered a replacement license in NY so that I am not without a license. When I return. Many thanks.

I’m so glad you like the blog. Antonio and I made so many mistakes when moving to Portugal that we figured we would share our experiences to help those looking to become expats in Lisbon. Are you in Lisbon or another city?

Generalmente, government agencies are good here about getting things mailed out on time. If you haven’t received information in a week, I would stop by the IMTT and ask about it. I find here the info you get depends on who you talk to at the particular authority you are at.

So….the bad news. The test is given in Portuguese…the good news, you can have an Embassy accredited translator there. AFAIK – this is what goes into the driving test:

You will be required to take 32 hours of lessons at a government-licensed driving school. Once you take those lessons, you can take the theoretical. Once you pass that (you need to get 27 out of 30 right) you can take the Portuguese driving test.

Hope all is well! I have been hearing conflicting things about the requirements for the license exchange and I wondered if you could clarify something for me:

I know you need to provide a driving abstract from the state your license is issued and I know you mentioned that it needed to be apostilled by the state in which the license is issued. Is this still the case?

I’ve also heard that you need to get a letter from the Portuguese Consulate from the state that coincides with where you live (e.g. NJ for me) that you mentioned below (in a different question response):

A declaration issued by the issuing authority or diplomatic or consular authority attesting to the authenticity of the driving title, the date of issue and its validity, the categories of vehicles to which it is entitled, their dates and restrictions, and obtained by passing a driving test.

Do you need both the apostile and the letter of declaration from the Consulate? Or does one or the other justify it?

I did not need the document from the consulate, but I did this a while back since I have been here for the past 2 years.

Looks like you now need the consular document. I marked this by *** This is the latest info from the IMTT website:

The following documents are required for the issuing of the license for exchange:

Delivery of the original of the valid and definitive driving license; Presentation of the identification document proving the residence in the national territory; Displaying the Tax Identification Number; Electronic Medical Certificate, issued by any doctor in the exercise of his profession, for drivers of all categories; Certificate of favorable psychological assessment, issued by any psychologist in the exercise of his / her profession, for Group 2 drivers: Category C1 vehicles , C1E, C, CE, D1, D1E and DE, as well as categories B, BE driving ambulances, fire-fighting vehicles, patient transport, school transport, child transport and passenger car rental. ***Declaration issued by the issuing authority or diplomatic or consular authority attesting to the authenticity of the driving title, the date of issue and its validity, the categories of vehicles to which it is entitled, their dates and restrictions, and obtained by passing a driving test; Translation of the driving license, authenticated by the consular service of Portugal or of another Member State in its country, when its content is not in Portuguese, French, English or Spanish.